(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a magnetic connector apparatus that charges an electric vehicle that can charge a high-voltage battery of a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.
(b) Background Art
Recently, there has been a growing public interest in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles due to the rapid increase in oil price and environmental issues. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and the electric vehicles (EV) require a charging apparatus that charges electric energy into a large capacity of high-voltage battery. The charging apparatus supplies power necessary for the operation of various electronic components and a driving motor for driving a vehicle. The charging apparatus of an electric vehicle includes a charging station for the power supply and control and a connector that is detachably mounted in the inlet of the electric vehicle to supply electric energy to the inlet of the electric vehicle.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary view illustrating a typical electric vehicle charging apparatus. The electric vehicle charging apparatus includes a charger 102 disposed on the exterior of a vehicle, a connector 106, and an inlet 110 connected to a high-voltage battery 104 of the vehicle.
When the connector 106 of the charger 102 is plugged into the inlet of a vehicle and a protection circuit switch 108 is turned on, the battery charging of the high-voltage battery 104 is performed. The protection circuit switch 108 prevents the running of a vehicle during the battery charging. When the protection circuit switch 108 is turned on, the vehicle is prevented from running.
Moreover, FIG. 2 is an exemplary circuit view of a PHEV/EV charger using a power source. A typical connector is disposed between a power source 121 and a Power Factor Correction (PFC) 121 or between a converter 123 and a high-voltage battery 124, and is configured to maintain a contact, i.e., electric coupling between conductors.
However, since a contact resistance exists in a typical connector and a loss occurs due to the contact resistance, the overall efficiency of the charger may be reduced. Additionally, when the connector is not sufficiently connected, charging may be interrupted. Furthermore, although the contact surface and bonding strength of the connector may be increased to overcome the above limitations, this may cause the complexity of the connector structure and the increase of volume, making attachment and detachment of the connector difficult and reducing the reliability of the connector.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.